I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Macy's (San Jose, CA) in Oct 2012
Interview
I applied online. Within 2 days, I got an email to set up the appointment for an interview. I chose the morning hour. On the day of the interview, I arrived at the store 15 minutes early. I waited in the lobby. Someone came for the interview for the same position. We exchanged greetings and said Good Luck to each other. A manager came out of the office and asked the other lady to go with him and told me that he would call someone else for me. Within 5 minutes, a woman with red tag came to me and asked my name and if I was applying for general sale or beauty sale. I said I was here for general sales. She said ok and she would be back. Within 2 minutes, she came back with my file. We went to the back of the quiet room. We sat down. She introduced herself. Asked me about my background and work experience.
We talked about my previous work experiences for a few minutes. She asked questions like what did I do at the particular job and etc.
Then she asked me a few questions relating to the position that I was applying for. She took notes. She made eye contacts with me the whole time. Paid attention to my answers and smiled and nodded when necessary.
At the end of the questions, she said she thought I would be a good asset to the company. But she didn't have a position for me at that time. So, she asked me to rank top 3 departments that I would like to work. I said I was interested in women, jewelry, and children department. She said women and children departments were under her management. She asked me about my availability. Then, she said she would call me as soon as the position opened up and told me to wait for her call for a week or 2. She wrote down "Bench" on my file. We talked about the salary. Then, she said we would talk more about the job next time we saw each other. She thanked me for coming in. I thanked her for interviewing me and her time. When we walked out back to the store, she complemented me about my black dress. I told her that I bought it in the same store and she seemed pleased about it. Then, we bid goodbye.
After 3 days, I called her on her cell phone and left a thank you message for her time. She didn't call me back.
After 4 days, she called me and offered me a position and told me to come in the next day for the paper work. :-)
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you make a connection with the customers?
Was interviewed for a seasonal position. Was told they have no seasonal positions, once they found out I was a college student. Made no sense to me quickly ended the interview.
The interview process was straightforward and fairly quick. It started with a phone interview from a recruiter or hiring representative who asked general questions about my background, availability, and interest in the role. The tone was professional but conversational, and the interviewer focused on making sure I could handle a fast-paced, customer-facing environment.
I had one interview with the store manager and it lasted for about 45 minutes. The interview was all standard behavioral questions. I was offered the job on the spot.